Bolivia: Drugs

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government is taking to encourage Bolivia to re-accede to the 1961 UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 13 October 2011
	Bolivia withdrew from the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 on 1 July 2011. The Bolivian Government have announced that it will reapply to the convention in January 2012, with a reserve on the articles relating to the prohibition of coca leaf. The international community will then have 12 months to consider the reserve. The Government continue to engage with their EU and international partners, including the Bolivian Government, to formulate their position.
	We remain committed to working with Bolivia to tackle the drugs trade, which causes harm to both our countries. A Memorandum of Understanding on Drugs Co-operation was signed in January 2011 to formalise this commitment.

Crime: Football

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many orders under section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 have been served on football supporters since its inception; how many such orders have been served in the last 12 months; whether any discussions have taken place with (a) the Association of Chief Police Officers, (b) the UK Football Policing Unit and (c) individual police forces on the appropriate use of section 27; what assessment she has made of whether section 27 is being used appropriately; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: The UK Football Policing Unit has collected data on orders issued under section 27 of the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, from local police football intelligence officers since the start of the 2009-10 football season. Police data submitted to the UK Football Policing Unit, from more than 3,000 football matches each season, shows police issued section 27 notices to football supporters on 60 occasions during 2009-10 and 69 occasions during 2010-11. The number of individuals receiving notices during these incidents was not recorded, but totals around 500 each season, from a total attendance of approximately 37 million.
	Discussions took place in 2009 between Home Office, the UK Football Policing Unit, the Association of Chief Police Officers and individual police forces on the use of section 27 powers during police football operations. These discussions focused on the need to ensure that any use is proportionate and appropriate, fully compliant with the Act, follows Home Office guidance and does not stereotype the behaviours of groups of football supporters. The decision to use section 27 is an operational matter for chief officers.

Departmental Billing

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost to her Department was of processing the payment of an invoice in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of invoices settled in that period her Department paid (a) electronically and (b) by cheque.

Damian Green: The Home Office processes its invoices through the Ministry of Justice Shared Service Centre. The devolved nature of the process within the Home Office means that a full end to end cost is difficult to identify but the costs to the Department for the Shared Service Centre can be identified.
	The average cost in September 2011 based on the average cost for the previous 12 months was £4.62 per invoice. This was the cost of the Shared Service Centre teams directly involved with processing the invoice and their share of the overheads. It does not include Home Office costs internally such as requisitioners, buyers, approvers and receipters. This figure covers the core headquarters and the UK Border Agency only. Other Home Office agencies and non-departmental public bodies do not use the Shared Service centre for their transactions.
	The proportion of invoices paid electronically to date during 2011-12 is 97.03% and the proportion paid by cheque for the same period is 2.97% This is the latest financial data available.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts her Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Department and its executive agencies do not differentiate between small and medium businesses. Since May 2010, 38 contracts have been awarded directly to small and medium-sized businesses and 196 to large businesses.
	Details of the contracts are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Business Type Month Year Number Contract value (£) 
			 SME October 2010 2 203,148 
			 SME November 2010 1 2,100,000 
			 SME December 2010 2 4,500,000 
			 SME January 2011 2 322,808 
			 SME February 2011 3 449,272 
			 SME March 2011 2 174,778 
			 SME April 2011 14 932,556 
			 SME May 2011 7 486,284 
			 SME June 2011 2 129,867 
			 SME July 2011 1 85,799 
			 SME August 2011 2 200,981 
			 Large Businesses June 2010 3 3,638,000 
			 Large Businesses July 2010 7 4,436,169 
			 Large Businesses August 2010 1 2,600,000 
			 Large Businesses September 2010 2 12,608 
			 Large Businesses October 2010 3 47,095,000 
			 Large Businesses November 2010 4 12,111,748 
			 Large Businesses December 2010 2 19,176,000 
			 Large Businesses January 2011 21 7,613,622 
			 Large Businesses February 2011 8 2,028,293 
			 Large Businesses March 2011 12 980,260 
			 Large Businesses April 2011 43 65,600,270 
			 Large Businesses May 2011 19 2,465,806 
			 Large Businesses June 2011 37 15,026,636 
			 Large Businesses July 2011 23 8,330,287 
			 Large Businesses August 2011 10 1,031,638 
			 Large Businesses September 2011 1 8,343,639 
		
	
	The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU Procurement Directives based on value for money.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts her Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Home Department and its executive agencies began using Contract Finder in February 2011. Since then 37 contracts have been advertised.
	The total value of contracts advertised on Contract Finder by the Home Department since February 2011 was £8,940,000.
	The Home Department and its executive agencies do not differentiate between small and medium businesses and therefore can only provide the details of contracts awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b)small and medium sized businesses (SME) in the table:
	
		
			 2011 
			  All contracts, number awarded All contracts, value (£) (a) Third Sector, contracts, number awarded (a) Third Sector contracts, value (£) (b) SMEs contracts, number awarded (b) SMEs contracts, value (£) Proportion of contracts awarded to SMEs (%) 
			 February 4 1,200,000 0 0 1 160,000 25.0 
			 March 3 100,000 0 0 0 0  
			 April 8 180,000 0 0 1 11,000 12.5 
			 May 8 1,200,000 0 0 2 140,000 25.0 
			 June 9 950,000 0 0 1 65,000 11.0 
			 July 4 5,200,000 0 0 0 0 — 
			 August 1 110,000 0 0 0 0 — 
			 September 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 
		
	
	Details of the contracts provided to small business alone could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU Procurement Directives based on value for money.

Fly-Tipping

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) arrested on suspicion of and (b) convicted for offences related to fly tipping in each London borough since 1997.

James Brokenshire: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.
	The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and criminal damage.
	Further breakdowns of offences within these offence groups are not reported to the Home Office.
	Data provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of people found guilty at all courts for ‘fly-tipping’ in England and Wales from 1997 to 2010 (latest available) are given in the following table.
	The Ministry of Justice advise that court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in the spring of 2012.
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts for ‘fly-tipping’  (1)   and other related offences, England and Wales 1997 to 2010  (2,3) 
			  Number of persons found guilty 
			 1997 250 
			 1998 304 
			 1999 324 
			 2000 411 
			 2001 446 
			 2002 557 
			 2003 624 
			 2004 791 
			 2005 931 
			 2006 1,102 
			 2007 1,218 
			 2008 1,193 
			 2009 1,184 
			 2010 1,270 
			 (1) Covers offences under sections 33(1), 33{6),33(8),33{9),34 and 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Third Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much direct funding her Department has allocated to each civil society organisation in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2012-13, (d) 2013-14 and (e) 2014-15; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), provided £56.9 million grant funding to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) during 2010-11. Forecasted funding for 2011-12 is £57 million, but, since grant applications have not been fully received, it is not yet possible to break 2011-12 spend down by organisation. No forecasts are yet available for 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15.
	The Home Office funded hundreds of VCS organisations during 2010-11 The following table lists those paid more than £250,000 during the year.
	
		
			 Third parties Grant spend in 2010/11 (£) 
			 Refugee Council 7,294,672.50 
			 Catch 22 5,456,030.00 
			 Refugee Action 4,982,070.02 
			 Eaves Housing for Women Ltd 2,198,280.00 
			 Co-ordinated Action 1,250,991.38 
			 Scottish Refugee Council 1,211,648.25 
			 Welsh Refugee Council 955,681.00 
			 Migrant Helpline 944,472.50 
			 Crimestoppers Trust 900,000.00 
			 The Survivors Trust 898,333.00 
			 Police Dependants' Trust 453,481.33 
			 Active Change Foundation 360,640.82 
			 London Tigers 336,739.57 
			 Princes Trust 326,100.00 
			 Inner City Guidance 304,997.30 
			 Strategy to Reach Empower and Educate 295,388.00 
			 Initiative for Muslim Progression 282,255.24 
			 Siraat Ltd 281,015.00 
			 Refuge 272,100.00 
		
	
	
		
			 Womens Aid 260,000.00 
			 Fast 252,525.00 
		
	
	Providing a full list of organisations would involve significant data cleansing activity which would result in a disproportionate cost to the Department.

Bank Services: Switzerland

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likelihood of UK taxpayers with bank accounts in Switzerland moving such accounts from Switzerland as a result of the agreement with that country on offshore tax evasion.

David Gauke: It is impossible to give a precise assessment of the likelihood of UK taxpayers moving their accounts from Switzerland. Under the terms of the Agreement the Swiss authorities will give HMRC details of the top 10 destinations of funds which do move from there. Any person who moves funds from Switzerland and does not pay the tax levied under the agreement will still be liable for all UK taxes on those funds.

National Insurance: Databases

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the monetary value in current prices is of the (a) original estimate and (b) final cost of the National Insurance Recording System 2; and what additional costs, in current prices have been incurred since its completion.

David Gauke: The NIRS2 project was instigated by the then department of Social Security prior to the merger of the Contributions Agency into the former Inland Revenue Department. The contract with Accenture started in May 1995 and finished in April 2004 and it was subsequently subsumed into the Aspire contract between the former Inland Revenue Department and Capgemini (which entered into force in July 2004), with effect from January 2005.
	Since June 2009, the NIRS2 service has been delivered as part of the National Insurance and PAYE (NPS) and Associated Services and the figures given in the following tables include NPS development and running costs, as well as NIRS2 costs and costs on-charged to the Department of Work and Pensions.
	Since January 2005, the following costs have been charged under the Aspire contract.
	
		
			 Running costs to August 2011 
			  £ million 
			 NIRS2 55.789 
			 NPS 10.122 
			 DWP 6.507 
			 Note: The DWP figure is on-charged to DWP and may be. included in any figures provided by that department. 
		
	
	
		
			 Project costs to August 2011 
			  £ million 
			 NPS 13.607 
			 NIRS2 1.214 
			 NIRS 27.425 
			 Note: None of the costs above have been grossed up to today's prices

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the cost of telephone calls made by the public to HM Revenue and Customs; and whether he plans to reduce the cost to individuals of such calls.

David Gauke: holding answer 12 October 2011
	The cost of calling HMRC is dependent on several factors. Calls are charged to the customer based on the tariff arrangements they have with their service provider, the device they use for the call and the location from which they call.
	However, HMRC recognise that the cost of calling its 0845 numbers can be an issue for some customers—particularly those using pay-as-you-go mobile phones. It has therefore been actively reviewing its numbering strategy to see if it can find ways of reducing the costs involved while striking the right balance between costs to the caller and costs to the public purse.
	I can confirm that as part of the process of agreeing its next telephony contract-which is due to take effect by June 2013—HMRC will continue to investigate alternatives to 0845 numbers. As a first and immediate step, HMRC expect that they will, by the end of the year be able to offer an 0345 number for those customers calling its tax credit helpline (which last year accounted for around 40% of the total calls handled by its contact centre network).
	The provision of a 0345 number is expected to result in significant cost savings for the majority of callers to the line.

Tax Avoidance

David Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many promoters HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has required to disclose tax avoidance schemes since May 2010; how many such schemes have been (a) investigated and (b) closed (i) since May 2010 and (ii) in each year since 2005; and how many schemes are under investigation by HMRC.

David Gauke: Since 1 May 2010 seventy-eight promoters have disclosed tax avoidance schemes under the Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes legislation.
	To remove any doubt about a scheme's effectiveness, legislation has been changed in relation to the following numbers of disclosed schemes in each year since 2005:
	
		
			  Number 
			 1 June 2005 - 31 May 2006 223 
			 1 June 2006 - 31 May 2007 173 
			 1 June 2007 - 31 May 2008 101 
			 1 June 2008 - 31 May 2009 40 
			 1 June 2009 - 31 May 2010 18 
			 1 June 2010 - 31 May 2011 17 
		
	
	Legislative changes are, of course, just one of the ways in which HMRC may respond to disclosures.
	All disclosures received by HMRC are subject to close examination. It is the returns of scheme users that are potentially subject to enquiry rather than the scheme disclosure itself and each disclosed scheme may have multiple users. Many users of the schemes are subject to further investigation by HMRC's teams of tax specialists. Although information on investigations is held by HMRC, it is not collated centrally in the form requested and it is not possible to provide details within the time and cost constraints.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the introduction of a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.

James Paice: The Government understand the House's desire for a ban and are continuing to assess how the legal obstacles may be overcome so that one could be achieved.
	In the meantime, we are developing a tough licensing regime which will stop circuses using wild animals if they don't provide appropriate welfare standards. We will be looking to consult on the proposals in early 2012 with a view to having regulations in place by July 2012.

Fortified Vitamins

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential effects in the UK of Danish legislation on fortified vitamins.

Anne Milton: I have been asked to reply.
	Legislation on the addition of vitamins and minerals to food is harmonised at European Union level, the impact of which was assessed prior to its introduction in 2007. A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment is available at:
	www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/addsubstanceeng07ria.pdf
	Media reports claiming that Denmark has 'banned' a number of well known British foods are incorrect. The media reports relate to products that had not been notified to the Danish authorities in accordance with EU legislation on fortified foods as implemented in Denmark.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received on the implementation of the Welfare of Laying Hens Directive in each other EU member state; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has recently written a joint letter with nine other like-minded member states to the Commission urging them to act to deal with the likelihood of non-compliance from 1 January 2012.
	The Commission requested that all member states provide a further update on the level of conversion out of conventional cages as at 27 September. The UK has submitted this return.

Free Schools

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to concentrate (a) new free schools in the poorest towns and cities and (b) the catchment areas of new free schools.

Nick Gibb: Half of the 24 free schools, which opened in September this year, are located in the 30% most deprived communities, based on the indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) measure. For the 2012 application round, the Department received 281 applications, many from local groups wanting to improve educational standards in their area. All free school applications are assessed against the criteria published on our website as well as against other free school applications. As the Department's website also says, wider contextual factors, such as the level of deprivation in the community, are taken into account when considering which projects should proceed to the next stage. A list of successful projects for the 2012 application round is available on the website.
	http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/freeschools/b00197715/free-schools-2012
	It is not for the Department to determine the admissions arrangements for individual free schools. Free schools are however, required to adopt arrangements that comply with the school admissions code.

Free Schools: Newham

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many applications his Department has (a) received and (b) rejected for the establishment of free schools in Newham; and what consultation (i) his Department and (ii) Partnerships for Schools has conducted on the (A) establishment, (B) composition and (C) location of free schools in Newham.

Nick Gibb: The Department has now completed the process of assessing the applications it has received to establish free schools in 2012. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), made an oral statement on 10 October 2011, Official Report, columns 62-64, about those that are approved to move to the next stage of development. We received seven applications to establish free schools in Newham and three of these applications have been approved to move to the next stage of development.
	The successful applicants are required to consult locally in accordance with Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010. Neither the Department nor Partnerships for Schools have undertaken any consultations on free school applications in Newham.

GCSE: Males

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) working class, (b) ethnic minority background and (c) other boys perform to the same level as girls in their GCSEs.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 17 October  2011 
	The Government believe that the best way to raise boys' attainment is by raising the status and quality of teaching; investing in school leadership; setting clear expectations of what all children must know and be able to do at each stage of education and freeing up schools to develop their own strategies for tackling underperformance.
	There is ho single strategy that has been shown to achieve the best possible results for boys, disadvantaged boys or boys from a minority ethnic background. Evidence does show however, that schools are independently important for narrowing attainment gaps. That is why we are providing head teachers with the freedom and the funding they need to develop local solutions to local needs.
	From April 2011, for example, the £201 million Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant has been mainstreamed into the wider Dedicated Schools Grant. This will give schools greater freedom over how the grant is spent and allow them to respond more flexibly to the needs of ethnic minority pupils.
	We have also introduced a pupil premium and increased this to £488 per pupil, providing additional funding for the most disadvantaged pupils of both genders at both primary and secondary level. Total funding for the pupil premium is £625 million in 2011-12 and this will rise to £2.5 billion a year by 2014-15.
	The data, from foundation stage onwards, do point to a persistent problem with boys' mastery of English and literacy. To narrow the GCSE attainment gap between boys and girls, we need intervene early to make sure that boys can read well. By ensuring high quality synthetic phonics teaching, we will improve literacy levels for all pupils, helping them to develop a love of reading and giving them a solid base on which to build their future education.

Schools: Playing Fields

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many school playing fields have been sold in England for development in each of the last 20 years; and what acreage of fields was sold in each year;
	(2)  what provisions govern the sale for development of school playing fields.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 12 October  2011 
	There have been 226 applications approved in the last 13 years that involve the sale of a school playing field. Of these 112 were in respect of closed schools where the playing field was not needed by any other local school. Prior to 1998 playing fields were not protected and this information, along with the acreage of fields sold each year, is not held centrally.
	School playing fields are protected by Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. The aim of the legislation is to stop their indiscriminate sale. It sets out clear criteria for sales and establishes a system of checks. Schools and local authorities must obtain the Secretary of State for Education's approval before they can dispose of their land; and applications to dispose of school playing fields are approved only when it is demonstrated that the land is genuinely surplus to the needs of all local schools and community sports activities.

Departmental Postgraduate Education

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants in his Department at (a) director general and (b) director level have qualified as a master of business administration.

Edward Davey: In core BIS (ie excluding UKTI and agencies) there are currently two director generals and four directors who are qualified as masters of business administration. In addition one BIS director has a doctorate in business administration.

Departmental Senior Civil Servants

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many civil servants his Department employed in each of its three most senior grades (a) on the most recent date for which figures are available and (b) in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: In June 2009 the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) was merged with The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) to create The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS). Therefore we only have access to data from this date.
	The coalition Government are committed to publishing staffing data as part of the transparency agenda. Departments and other public sector organisations are required to publish a breakdown of their senior staff data. BIS information from these exercises is shown in the following table and is also available on the website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff
	
		
			 Grade 30 June 2010 31 March 2011 
			 Permanent Secretary 1 1 
			 Chief Scientific Advisor 1 1 
			 SCS PB3—Grade 2 9 7 
		
	
	
		
			 SCS PB2—Grade 3 40 31 
			 Note: Data excludes agencies and UKTI.

Employment: Complaints

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to reduce the level of spurious claims by former employees against their employers.

Edward Davey: Earlier this year, my Department launched the resolving workplace disputes consultation, a significant step in the Employment Law review. This consultation sought views on various measures to deter weak claims and help improve business confidence in the employment tribunal system, such as increasing the maximum levels for cost awards and deposit orders. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), has already announced our intention to increase the qualifying period for unfair dismissal claims from one to two years. We will publish our Government response in the coming weeks setting out how we intend to proceed with the remaining proposals.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis he has undertaken of the (a) potential financial benefits of charging for access to Government data via a public data corporation and (b) potential economic benefits of adopting open data principles for such data.

Edward Davey: The Government are currently running two public consultations related to public data, on 'Making Open Data Real: A Public Consultation' and 'Data Policy for a Public Data Corporation', which close on 27 October 2011. As part of the Growth Review the Government are looking at the possible benefits of releasing more data as 'open data' to stimulate growth. One of the aims of a Public Data Corporation is to provide a more consistent approach towards access to and accessibility of public sector information from certain organisations, balancing the desire for more data free at the point of use while ensuring affordability and value for taxpayers. Responses to the consultations will support internal analysis of these issue, which will enable Government to reflect on an appropriate policy framework for a Public Data Corporation.

Multinational Companies

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the introduction of country-by-country annual reporting by all multinational companies listed in the UK on profits made and taxes paid in each country where they operate; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The Government believes the most effective way of improving transparency on this issue is for the EU to develop a reporting system for the extractives sector that matches the standards in the Dodd Frank legislation in the US.

Office of Fair Trading: Government Procurement Card

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) date of purchase, (b) amount, (c) supplier and (d) level 3 or enhanced transaction entry was of each transaction undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading using the Government Procurement Card in (i) 2007-08, (ii) 2008-09 and (iii) 2009-10.

Edward Davey: An electronic file of the details of Government Procurement Card transactions undertaken by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 will be deposited in the Libraries of the House. Due to the way information was recorded during the periods in question, the dates shown are normally those on which the transaction was entered on to the accounting system rather than the actual purchase dates. The actual purchase dates and level 3 or enhanced transaction entries could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Government Procurement Cards are primarily used for the purchase of low value items and to settle travel and subsistence costs incurred by staff travelling on OFT business. This not only guarantees on-time payment to suppliers, particularly beneficial to small and medium sized enterprises, but is also a cost-effective contributor to efficiency targets.

Government Car and Despatch Agency

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether she issues guidance to the Government Car and Despatch Agency on the (a) loan and (b) purchase of vehicles; and if she will place in the Library a copy of any such guidelines.

Michael Penning: All vehicles purchased by the Government Car and Despatch Agency are obtained through the Government Procurement Service approved framework. While specific guidance is not usually issued by the Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), she does retain responsibility for advising on the choice of cars for Ministers when necessary.

Public Sector Jobs

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the reduction in public sector jobs in Northern Ireland.

Owen Paterson: I last discussed economic matters with the First Minister and Acting deputy First Minister yesterday. We all agree that Northern Ireland is overly dependent on public spending. The Government are committed to rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy by creating the conditions that will encourage the private sector to provide jobs for the future.

Corporation Tax

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the devolution of powers in relation to corporation tax.

Owen Paterson: I discussed corporation tax, among other matters, with the First and Acting Deputy First Ministers yesterday. They will nominate Ministers to a Working Group chaired by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), which will clarify the key outstanding issues that need to be resolved in advance of decisions on whether to proceed. We expect the group to meet first in early November.

Bill of Rights

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he has made on introducing a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland.

Hugo Swire: The Government remains committed to resolving this issue but in a way that secures consensus. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), recently wrote to party leaders raising as a possibility work being taken forward by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: Government takes cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme, working across Departments, with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	The Northern Ireland Office routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF); these standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

E-mail

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of government business.

Owen Paterson: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct government business.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the conditions faced by service personnel on active service in Afghanistan.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 12 October 2011
	We regularly assess conditions for our service personnel in Afghanistan to ensure that we continue to do all that we can to assist them in what remains a dangerous, demanding and often austere operating environment.
	To mitigate these harsh conditions we have in place a robust support and allowance package that is kept under regular review. This package includes a range of services such as shops, operational fitness equipment, and entertainment facilities. It also provides telephone and internet facilities and pastoral care by deployed chaplains. The services that individuals will be readily able to access will, however, understandably vary depending on their location.
	Communication facilities, in particular, have been significantly improved in the last year. Iridium satellite phones, text link, email and wi-fi internet access are now being provided at even some of the most austere locations. Moreover, in addition to the digital television that is provided in the main operating bases, British Forces Broadcasting Service has introduced an internet television facility to allow individuals a much broader range of options for what they can watch and when.

Departmental Buildings

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) building and (b) refurbishment projects his Department plans in (i) 2011-12 and (ii) 2012-13; and what the cost of each such project will be.

Andrew Robathan: A table showing the current Ministry of Defence programme of approved building and refurbishment projects and the total cost of these projects has been placed in the Library of the House. Data relating to spend in individual financial years and information relating to some office refurbishments is not held centrally or consistently and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In 2011-12 some 700 upgrades are being carried out on service family accommodation at a cost of some £44 million. In financial year 2012-13 some 800 upgrades are planned at a cost of some £46 million.
	In addition as part of a £1.4 billion investment programme, since 2003 some 40,000 new or improved single living accommodation bed spaces have been delivered. A further 20,000 are planned by 2013, subject to future funding decisions. The programme is being delivered through various initiatives across the Department. Again exact expenditure by year could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Legal Opinion

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average hourly rate paid was to external (a) solicitors and (b) barristers engaged by his Department in 2010-11; what guidance his Department uses in commissioning external legal advice; and if he will publish (i) the names of each external (A) solicitor and (B) barrister engaged by his Department in 2010-11 and (ii) the sums paid in each case.

Andrew Robathan: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, in commissioning external legal services in England and Wales, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) follows the guidance provided by the Attorney-General's Office. Where possible, we choose counsel from a set of panels filled by competition by the Attorney-General's Office. These four panels reflect levels of experience and location. Those counsel who undertake to join the panels are paid fees according to set hourly rates appropriate to their panel. The rates are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Panel Hourly rate (£) 
			 A Panel 120 
			   
			 B Panel 100 
			   
			 C Panel  
		
	
	
		
			 Under five years' call 60 
			 Over five years' call 80 
			   
			 Regional Panel  
			 Under five years' experience 60 
			 5-10 years' experience 90 
			 Over 10 years' experience 110 
		
	
	Details of those counsel who are currently on the panels are available from the website of the Treasury Solicitor's Department:
	www.tsol.gov.uk/attorney_generals_panel_of_counsel.htm
	The MOD is required to seek the Attorney's nomination in any case in which we wish to choose counsel who are not on the panel, for example, to use leading counsel. The panel system is also supplemented by the retention of two senior counsel known as ‘First Treasury Counsel’ to advise on, and represent the Department in, particularly complex and sensitive matters. Hourly rates of £220 have been agreed with the two current First Treasury Counsel, James Eadie QC and Jonathan Swift QC.
	Similar arrangements exist in Scotland overseen by the Office of the Advocate-General. As with the Attorney-General in England and Wales, the Advocate-General maintains a panel of standing junior Counsel in Scotland. The Advocate-General likewise approves nomination for the instruction of senior counsel.
	When assistance from external firms of solicitors is required in England and Wales, the MOD also choose from panels of competitively selected firms, with which Government have negotiated fee rates. The MOD also instructs a panel of external law firms to provide commercial legal services in support of private finance initiatives and major Defence projects. Since January 2010, this panel consists of the following private firms: Denton Wilde Sapte, Shepherd and Wedderburn, Mills and Reeve, Pinsent Masons, Wragge and Co., Simmons and Simmons and Field Fisher Waterhouse. The MOD has in place framework agreements with each of these firms with rates which were agreed during the competitive selection process. Expenditure on the panel for 2010-11 is currently being collated.
	In Scotland, the MOD acquires legal services for a period of four years by means of a competitive tendering exercise that is open to all law firms able to provide advice on Scots Law. From 1 September 2011, Morton Fraser LLP retained this contract following the competitive tender being found to provide best value to the MOD. I am withholding details of current rates charged, as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. I am however able to disclose that the fees paid in the last year of the former contract were £799,454, a lower figure than that incurred in each of the preceding two years.
	Finally, in keeping with the Government's Transparency Agenda, since 2010 the MOD has subject to the accepted Freedom of Information and Data Protection exemptions, published details of payments of over £25,000 on a monthly basis at the following internet address:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/ModSpend/ModSpendOver25000DataFiles.htm

Departmental Press: Subscriptions

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on newspapers, periodicals and trade profession magazines in 2010-11.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence has a contract with a supplier to provide newspapers and copy rate magazines at a discounted rate to units within the London area. Expenditure under this contract in 2010-11 was recorded as £671,755.93.
	MOD units outside London may purchase newspapers under local arrangements. Information on expenditure under these local arrangements is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	A contract is also in place with a supplier to provide periodicals, journals and magazines on subscription. Expenditure under this contract in 2010-11 was recorded as £58,810.36.
	Information on expenditure outside of this contract is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) sorties and (b) hours have been flown by UK (i) Typhoon, (ii) Tornado GR4, (iii) E-3D, (iv) VC10, (v) BAe 146, (vi) HS125, (vii) C-130 Hercules, (viii) Chinook HC2, (ix) C-17, (x) Tristar, (xi) Apache AH1, (xii) Sea King ASAC.7, (xiii) Lynx HMA.8, (xiv) Merlin HMA.1 and (xv) Sea King HC.4 aircraft during Operation Ellamy to date.

Nick Harvey: From the beginning of current operations in Libya up to 6 October 2011, UK aircraft have flown total of around 2,900 combat and combat support sorties lasting a total of around 17,350 hours. Of these totals, the UK has flown around 2,000 strike sorties, including Fast Jet and Attack Helicopter, lasting a total of around 10,580 hours.
	Combat operations include: Tornado GR4; Typhoon FGR4; and Apache AH 1.
	Combat support operations include: Sentinel R1; Nimrod R1; Sentry AEW 1; VC10K3; VC10C1K; Tristar K; Maritime Helicopters (Lynx and Sea King ASAC.7); C130; and C-17.
	The hours included for C130 and C-17 are for flights that landed in Libya only. Further flights in support of Operation Ellamy have been flown to and from Italy and Cyprus. However, the information on the hours and sortie numbers of these flights is not held in the format requested.
	I am withholding information regarding sorties or hours flown for individual aircraft type as their disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Libya: Politics and Government

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military aid, training or equipment has been offered to the Transitional National Council of Libya; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 13 October 2011
	The UK has not provided any military training to the National Transitional Council (NTC) of Libya. However, a military mentoring team in Libya has enabled the NTC to better protect civilians and civilian areas by providing the NTC with mentoring on information handling, internal organisation and processes, logistics, communications, and planning.
	The UK has also provided £1.5 million to fund civilian experts assisting in a weapons disposal programme. As part of this commitment, we have provided a small team of UK military specialists to work alongside the Libyans and United States in preventing the proliferation of surface-to-air missiles.
	To support the NTCs security efforts, the UK has provided communications equipment, body armour, and police uniforms for use by police in Benghazi.
	As the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), announced during his visit to Tripoli, the UK has gifted items including binoculars, GPS systems, and lifejackets with a value of approximately £65,000 to help the Libyans recommence naval security operations. All equipment provided is fully in line with UNSCRs 1970 and 1973 including the arms embargo.
	On 15 September 2011, the Prime Minister announced an additional £600,000 funding for the Mines Advisory Group to protect civilians from unexploded devices in Libya. This brings the UK's contribution to the clearance of explosive remnants of war in Libya to £780,000.

RAF Leuchars

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department has undertaken a sustainability assessment in relation to the transformation of RAF Leuchars into an army base.

Nick Harvey: A high-level sustainability appraisal was undertaken in April 2011, which considered what the effects would be of changing RAF Leuchars to Army use, as well as of closing the site.
	More detailed sustainability and other environmental studies will be carried out, as part of the ongoing re-basing process.

Territorial Army

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what proportion of (a) full-time and (b) regular army reserve officers in each category died in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq in each of the last five years.

Philip Hammond: Since 1 April 2007, 26 UK full-time Army officers, which covers regular officers, Gurkha officers, and full-time reserve service officers, have died as a result of operations in Afghanistan or Iraq. Of these, 23 were as a result of operations in Afghanistan and three were as a result of operations in Iraq.
	There have been no deaths of either regular army reserve officers or Territorial Army officers deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq during the same period.
	The following tables provide a breakdown of the number of full-time regular Army officer deaths by operation and financial year, and shows this as the proportion of those deployed and as a proportion of those on strength.
	
		
			 Table 1: Full-time regular Army officer deaths as a result of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, 1 April 2007 to 9 October 2011 by financial year, numbers, and percentage 
			  All 2007-08 2008-09 
			 Category N  umber N  umber Deployed (%) Strength (%) N  umber Deployed (%) Strength (%) 
			 Afghanistan(2) 23 4 0.15 0.03 2 0.07 0.01 
			 Iraq(2) 3 3 0.14 0.02 0 — — 
		
	
	
		
			  2009-10 2010-11 2011-12  (1) 
			 Category N  umber Deployed (%) Strength (%) N  umber Deployed (%) Strength (%) N  umber 
			 Afghanistan(2) 10 0.28 0.07 5 0.12 0.03 2 
			 Iraq(2) 0 — — 0 — — 0 
			 (1) 201-12 Deployment data and strength data is not yet available. (2) Includes those who were killed in action or died of wounds as well as deaths due to accidents, natural causes, assaults, and coroner confirmed suicide or open verdicts.

Departmental Pay

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will estimate the total monetary value of London weightings and London living allowances for staff in his Department.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has a number of staff based in London; all of whom are on secondment from other Government bodies. The majority are employees of the Ministry of Justice who have London rates of base pay and as such do not receive separately identifiable London weightings and London living allowances.
	The remaining staff based in London are seconded from the Scottish Government and receive a London Pay Supplement, in addition to their normal salaries. From 1 April to 30 September 2011, a total of £1,310 was paid in London Pay Supplements.

Departmental Location

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many civil servants in his Department have been (a) relocated and (b) agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

John Penrose: No civil servants in the Department have been relocated, nor agreed to be relocated in the last 12 months.

Departmental Procurement

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what contracts of a monetary value of (a) between £100,000 and £500,000, (b) between £500,000 and £1 million, (c) between £1 million and £5 million, (d) between £5 million and £10 million, (e) between £10 million and £50 million, (f) between £50 million and £100 million, (g) between £100 million and £500 million, (h) between £500 million and £1 billion, (i) between £1 billion and £5 billion and (j) over £5 billion his Department and its predecessors have entered into with private suppliers in each year since 1990.

John Penrose: This information is not collated in the manner requested. Providing it would exceed the disproportionate cost limit.
	However, we do hold information about contracts entered in to by the Department with private suppliers between 2007 and 2011, which is set out in the following table. The values listed cover the entirety of the contracts, which vary in length between three and five years.
	
		
			  Contract title Supplier(s) Value 
			 2007 IT Specialist Solutions Atos Origin (1)£25 million 
			 2007 Temporary Clerical and Administration Staff Brook Street/Hays £1.5 million 
			 2007 Travel Management Services (Rail) Hogg Robinson £520,000 
			 2007 Travel Management Services (Air/Ferry) Capita Business Travel £1.2 million 
			 2007 Support for Delivery of DCMS Transformation Programme Deloitte £104,000 
			 2008 Taking Part Survey BMRB £4.1 million 
			 2008 Promoting of international Arts in the UK Visiting Arts £300,000 
			 2008 Recruitment of 5 GOE Interim Managers Russam CMS £3.3 million 
			 2008. Children's Play Policy and Research Programme Play England £324,000 
			 2008 Consultancy Support for DCMS Change Programme PA Consulting £127,000 
			 2008 Playworker Training and Educational Programme SkillsActive £1.1 million 
			 2009 Ceremonial and Works Management EC Harris £713,227 
			 2009 Recruitment of HR Specialists Morgan Law £500,000 
			 2009 Legal Services—Independently Funded News Consortium DLA Piper £200,000 
			 2009 Managed Financial and Accounting Services Liberata £1.6 million 
			 2010 Cultural Contact Point (jointly funded with the European Commission) Visiting Arts £300,000 
			 2010 Facilities Management Services Carillion £5.1 million 
			 2010 Mailroom and Associated Services Ecovert £828,833 
			 2011 Taking Part Survey TNS-BMRB £5.3 million 
			 (1) This amount is an estimate, as the contract has a fixed and variable pricing structure.

Olympic Games 2012: Facilities

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment has he made of the likely effects of the decision to retain the Olympic Stadium in public ownership on the prospects for success of London's bid to host the 2017 World Athletics Championships.

Hugh Robertson: The Government have guaranteed to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that the Olympic Stadium will retain its running track for the 2017 World Athletics Championships. The decision to keep the stadium in public ownership reinforces Government's commitment to a legacy of top-level athletics in the stadium from 2014, further strengthening our bid.

Olympic Games 2012: Scotland

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the benefits to Scotland of the London 2012 Olympic Games; and if he will make a statement. [Official Report, 2 November 2011, Vol. 534, c. 1-4MC.]

Hugh Robertson: holding answer 17 October 2011
	The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) established the nations and regions group (NRG) to ensure UK-wide engagement and to maximise the legacy from London 2012. This group works directly with representatives from each of the nations and English regions to realise the sporting, economic, and cultural benefits of the 2012 games.
	As part of the funding of the London 2012 activity in the nations and regions the Department is contributing towards the costs of the Scottish Government employing the Inspire programmer in Scotland from 2010-11 to 2012-13.
	Scotland stands to gain from the wide range of opportunities created by the 2012 games, through businesses winning games-related work, increased tourism and cultural celebrations. Some examples of how Scotland will benefit from the games are given as follows.
	Over 19,800 schools and colleges across the UK have registered for LOCOG's London 2012 education programme Get Set, 1,251 schools and colleges are registered in Scotland, 44.7% of the total number of schools and colleges in the nation. 95 schools in the Fife area have registered for Get Set including Glenrothes High School.
	Over 1,700 cultural or sporting projects across the UK have been awarded the Inspire mark. In Scotland 36 projects have been awarded Inspire marks. In June 2011, the Festival of Sport was launched in Scotland, Fife council participated in this Inspire marked project. The aim of the festival was using the inspiration of the games to profile physical activity and increase the membership of sports clubs.
	The Legacy Trust have awarded £4.7 million for 'The Scottish Project', a diverse range of cultural, sporting and educational activities, bringing together thousands of volunteers, artists and the public to leave a lasting legacy from London 2012 and Glasgow 2014.
	In addition, 25 contracts have been awarded by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to businesses in the nation. These include KN Environmental Services Ltd from Perth who provided materials for the Aquatics Centre, Millstream Associates Ltd from Aberdeen who provided procurement services and Mason Land Surveys Ltd from Dunfermline who provided engineering services. The hon. Member can find a list of contractors on the ODA suppliers map at the link as follows:
	http://www.london2012.com/get-involved/business-network/oda-suppliers/map.php
	So far 4,072 companies in the nation have registered on Competefor (the website where London 2012 contract opportunities are advertised), and 48 contracts have been awarded to Competefor suppliers. Not all the information on 'supply chain' level contracts is in the public domain. There may be other companies that have secured ‘supply chain’ contracts in the nation.
	Locations across the UK, particularly those that are hosting international teams in pre-games training camps (PGTCs), have additional opportunities to realise the economic benefits of the games. Two agreements have been signed with teams to hold PGTCs in Scotland, with the National Olympic Committees of Zambia and Namibia. In addition, Hampden Park will host rounds of the football competition.
	The Department is currently working with Glasgow 2014 Ltd on the post-games relocation of shooting range assets to Scotland. Furthermore, there is the potential for relocation of other facilities as part of the LOCOG post-games games equipment and assets transfers.

Jobseeker’s Allowance: Education

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support his Department provides to individuals in receipt of jobseekers allowance who enrol on short college courses.

Chris Grayling: The Government recognises the importance that education and skills can play in helping people find work. Jobseekers may undertake up to two weeks of full-time training in any 12-month period, with the agreement of their Jobcentre Plus adviser, without jeopardising their benefit entitlements. Jobseekers who have been on jobseeker's allowance for more than six months are able to access training for up to 30-hours per week for up to eight weeks, subject to the agreement of their adviser, and still remain on jobseeker's allowance. Jobseekers can also undertake part-time education or training at any point in their claim and continue to receive jobseeker's allowance as long as they continue to meet the basic conditions of entitlement.
	For other types of training, the Department can pay training allowances instead of jobseeker's allowance. But this, like help to cover travel costs for accessing training, or paying for replacement adult or child care to enable a claimant to undertake training, is met from the Flexible Support Fund and is discretionary.
	The Department for Work and Pensions works with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government to ensure that publicly-funded skills and training support available to benefit recipients complements the employment support provided by Jobcentre Plus.

Work Capability Assessment: Wales

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Wales and (b) Wrexham (i) applied for incapacity benefit, (ii) were requested to attend a personal capability assessment, (iii) had their incapacity benefit refused following an assessment and (iv) had their incapacity benefit reinstated following a review or appeal in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: Since October 2008, new claims to incapacity benefits have been made to employment and support allowance so the only flows to old-style incapacity benefits—incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) have been from linked claims. Information on flows to incapacity benefits and other benefits can be found on the Department's Tabulation Tool at the following link:
	http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_on/tabtool.html
	For example, the following link shows flows onto old-style incapacity benefits for people of working age by region/country. This shows the number of flows in the year to February 2011 was 1,820 in Wales:
	http://83.244.183.180/flows/flows_on/ibsda/cdquarter/ccgor/ccclient/a_carate_r_cdquarter_c_ccgor_p_ccclient_working_ age.html
	The number of flows onto old-style incapacity benefits in Wrexham local authority area is around 60. This is calculated from further breakdowns available using the tabulation tool.
	Information tracking people claiming old-style incapacity benefits and what happened to them at the personal capability assessment (PCA) is only held from October 2008 onwards. At this stage most assessments related to existing longer term incapacity benefit claims and not new incapacity benefit claims, (i.e. repeat PCAs and not the initial PCA). Therefore, information relating to both initial and repeat PCAs combined has been presented.
	Table 1 shows information on the number and outcomes of PCAs carried out between March 2010 and February 2011 (the latest data available). Note that the information in Table 1 cannot be directly compared to data on new claims to IB as the data contain information on repeat PCAs which make up the vast majority of PCAs carried out in this time period.
	
		
			 Table 1: Personal capability assessments outcomes, March 2010 to February 2011 
			  PCA exempt Disallowed at PCA Pass PCA Total 
			 Wales 1,400 5,200 16,300 22,900 
			 Wrexham 0 100 200 300 
			 Notes: 1. The information in the table is from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data sourced from Atos Healthcare. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 claims and totals may not sum due to rounding. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows information on appeals that have been heard relating to PCAs carried out between March 2010 and February 2011 (as in Table 1). The Department only holds information on appeals once they have been heard by the Tribunal Service. Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to the Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely there are more appeals that have not yet been heard, so the number of appeals is likely to change as more up to date information becomes available.
	
		
			 Table 2: Appeals heard for PCAs completed between March 2010 and February 2011 by decision made by the Tribunal Service 
			  Decision in favour of appellant Decision upheld Total 
			 Wales 500 500 1,000 
			 Wrexham 0 0 0 
			 Notes: 1. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions, functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare and appeals data from the Tribunals Service. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 claims and totals may not sum due to rounding.

Libya: Armed Conflict

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the number of UK citizens wounded in military actions in Libya.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of one British national who was killed and one who has been injured in Libya since March 2011, However it has not been possible to make a reliable estimate of the number of British nationals wounded in military action.

Roads: Accidents

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the incidence of road traffic accidents abroad involving British nationals; and if he will place a copy of any such research in the Library.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not commissioned any research on the incidence of road traffic accidents abroad. The FCO's Travel Advice and our 'Know Before You Go' publicity campaigns occasionally refer to statistics on road traffic accidents abroad. These statistics are obtained from the Department for Transport and independent automobile associations.

Syria: Politics and Government

Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with which foreign counterparts he has had recent discussions on the situation in Syria.

William Hague: I have had recent discussions about the situation in Syria with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, with Foreign Ministers from the Arab league, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, Nigeria, Russia, Italy, Jordan, the United States and with my EU colleagues at the Foreign Affairs Council on 10 October. Most recently, I discussed Syria with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani of Qatar and President Aziz of Mauritania.
	In my discussions, I made clear the UK's condemnation of the violence against civilians who are expressing their views in peaceful protests, and the need for the Syrian authorities to show restraint and to respond to the legitimate demands of people with immediate and genuine reform, not brutal repression.
	We have also led work to secure UN action. The UN Security Council Presidential Statement issued on 3 August condemned the violence in Syria. On 4 October, the Security Council voted on a draft UK, French, German and Portuguese resolution on Syria, condemning the Syrian regime's use of force, calling for an end to violence, and threatening sanctions. Nine of the fifteen members of the UNSC voted in favour of this Resolution, but Russia and China regrettably chose to block it. It is a mistake on their part to side with a brutal regime rather than with the people of Syria.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: Since May 2010 the Ministry of Justice has awarded a total of 301 contracts with a value of circa £2.83 billion. The requirement to publish contracts on Contracts Finder commenced in January 2011. Since January, the Ministry of Justice has published 235 contracts on Contract Finder with a value of circa £2.79 billion.
	Since May 2010 the Ministry of Justice has awarded 21 contracts to third sector organisation with a value of circa £17 million with a proportion of the final payment dependent on performance and 66 contracts have been awarded to small businesses with a value of circa £312 million.
	A breakdown by month is not currently available.

Departmental Public Expenditure

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on new furnishings in the last year for which figures are available.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) total expenditure on new furnishings for 2010-11 was £7.9 million, his excludes, probation trusts and Youth Justice Board.
	The following is a breakdown by business groups (this excludes, probation trusts and Youth Justice Board);
	
		
			  £000 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ Core (MoJ HQ Core) 1,261 
			 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 2,071 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) 4,353 
			 Tribunals Services (TS) 120 
			 Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) 71 
			 Total expenditure on new furnishings for 2010-11 7,876 
		
	
	Please note the above figure for total expenditure on new furnishings for 2010-11 includes the £2.5 million relating to capital expenditure. Please refer to following link to MoJ annual report for 2010-11 page 139:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/annual-report-accounts-2010-11.htm

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: Government take cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme, working across Departments, with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	Ministry of Justice routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF); these standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

Offenders: Foreign Nationals

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of foreign national offenders subject to multi-agency public protection arrangements have served custodial sentences.

Crispin Blunt: As I explained in my reply to my hon. Friend of 10 October 2011, Official Report, column 162W, information on the nationality of offenders subject to Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Without that information, it is not possible to state the number and proportion of foreign national offenders subject to MAPPA who have served custodial sentences.

Prisons: Waiting Lists

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the waiting time is for places for Category D prisoners held in Category C prisons who wish to move to (a) HMP Blantyre House, (b) HMP Ford, (c) HMP Hatfield, (d) HMP Hewell, (e) HMP Hollesley Bay, (f) HMP Kirkham, (g) HMP Kirklevington Grange, (h) HMP Latchmere House, (i) HMP Leyhill, (j) HMP North Sea Camp, (k) HMP Spring Hill, (l) HMP Standford Hill and (m) HMP Sudbury.

Crispin Blunt: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost as it would be necessary to contact every category C prison and request them to consult individual prisoner records to identify the number of category D prisoners waiting for transfer in to any of the prisons requested and the length of time they had been waiting.

Public Sector

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to put in place a right to provide for public sector workers to take over the running of services; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: In keeping with the rest of Government, Ministry of Justice employees will have a right to provide services through employee owned or part-owned mutuals, as well as organisations such as social enterprises and co-operatives. We have been actively exploring opportunities for Ministry of Justice workers to leave the public sector to take over the running of services.
	All such opportunities are being considered within the context of our strategic approach to competition, as set out in the Offender Services Competition Strategy(1).
	(1) http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/corporate-reports/moj/oscs.htm

Departmental Pay

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate the total monetary value of London weightings and London living allowances for staff in his Department.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office recognises the distinction between London and National pay rates with London and National pay bands. Details of Cabinet Office pay bands, as at 31 July 2011, are published on the:
	www.data.gov.uk
	website at the following address:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/staff-organograms-and-pay-cabinet-office

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: The Government take cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	The Cabinet Office routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework and these standards are aligned with best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments, as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

Government Departments: Procurement

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps his Department is taking to inform small and medium-sized enterprises about the rules of public procurement.

Francis Maude: Both Cabinet Office and BIS provide a range of advice, guidance and information for SMEs on the Businesslink website at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/procurement
	while generic information about public procurement is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/resource-library/topic/59
	We are planning to launch, in the late autumn, the new procedures for Lean Procurement, which will further help SMEs by improving pre-market engagement with prospective suppliers and by streamlining the procurement process to make it easier and simpler for all suppliers to do business with Government.

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: Government take cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to UK national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security Programme, working across Departments, with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	The Department routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its ICT systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the Government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF); these standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

Downstream Oil Industry Forum

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his recent discussions with energy companies have included representatives from UKLPG; and whether the issue of communal contracts and the provision of variations to such contracts in order to enable individual domestic consumers to switch supplier has been discussed at such meetings.

Charles Hendry: There have been no recent discussions with representatives from UKLPG. A list of ministerial meetings with external organisations is available, on a quarterly basis, on the Department's website:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx
	The OFT published its market study on off-grid energy on 18 October and noted that it was continuing to keep this area under review.

Email

Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether any (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) special advisers in his Department use private e-mail accounts for the conduct of government business.

Gregory Barker: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct Government business.

EU Energy Policy

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's priorities are for energy and climate change in European budget negotiations.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 18 October 2011
	The Government's representation in the negotiations on both the Annual Budget and Multi-Annual Financial Framework processes is led by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), supported by relevant Government Departments on the basis of an agreed UK position.
	While controlling the size of the budget is the UK's main priority, the Government believes that funding for climate change and energy objectives should make up a larger share of an EU budget that increases, at most, by no more than inflation in the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework, and that climate change objectives should be mainstreamed across all relevant Headings, ensuring that the EU's investments are compatible with and contribute to the EU's cost-effective transition to a low carbon economy . The Government have made this case to the Commission and will continue to do so as negotiations on the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework progress.

Feed-in Tariffs

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the cost of feed-in tariffs to taxpayers unable to utilise solar and wind power.

Gregory Barker: Feed in Tariffs (FITs) are funded through consumers' energy bills rather than through general taxation. DECC estimates that FITs will lead to an average annual increase in energy bills for households that do not take up FITs of £8.50 over the 2011-30 period. This estimate is subject to change as a result of the ongoing comprehensive review of feed in tariffs; the review will seek to maximise money and cost-effectiveness in the scheme.

Microgeneration

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the promotion of micro combined heat and power systems.

Gregory Barker: Following the discussion of this technology at Committee Stage of the Energy Bill, the department has progressed with the commitment given at the end of that debate to consider the long-term role for micro-CHP. My officials met the hon. Member for Southampton, Test (Dr Whitehead), shortly afterwards and have also held talks with industry bodies.
	In August the Micropower Council organised an event on micro-CHP involving senior DECC officials and the leading players from across the industry, and as a result of that meeting, the industry will shortly be presenting Government with proposals for progressing this technology.
	Micro-CHP is supported under the feed-in tariffs (FITs). A comprehensive review of the scheme is currently underway and is considering all aspects of the scheme including administration, tariffs and eligibility for FITs. We are intending to consult on formal proposals later this year. Changes as a result of the review will be implemented in April 2012 unless the review indicates the need for greater urgency.

Departmental Pay

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total monetary value of London weightings and London living allowances for staff in his Department.

Simon Burns: The current departmental reward system for grades administration officer (AO) to grade 6 has built-in, higher premia, which reflect the cost of living in the London region. Currently these premia are £3,500 for inner London and £1,750 for outer London. The number of staff on an inner London pay-scale (as at 30 September 2011) was 1,256, (giving a maximum of £4,396,000) and outer London was 39 (a maximum of £68,250). The maximum figures are calculated using headcount numbers on payroll. Actual expenditure will be less than those maximum figures as some Department staff work part-time.
	Some AO to grade 6 staff are eligible for 'legacy' payments, which relate to previous costs of living in London, on a reserved rights basis. The estimated cost of these payments is £206,711.
	There are no regional premia or allowances attached to senior civil service pay scales.

Departmental Procurement

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to third sector organisations in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many contracts his Department has awarded directly to (a) small, (b) medium-sized and (c) large businesses in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many contracts his Department has advertised on the Contracts Finder website in each month since May 2010; what the value was of such contracts; what proportion were awarded to (a) third sector organisations and (b) small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department's central procurement database, which has provided the following information, holds information at the level of purchase order (PO)—these are individual items of expenditure and more than one PO may relate to a single contractual agreement.
	The following table sets information on purchase orders awarded to third sector organisations by month since May 2010.
	
		
			  PO Creation date Number of PO's awarded to third sector organisations Total monthly PO value (£) 
			 2010 May 83 5,080,277.35 
			  June 63 1,475,514.09 
			  July 41 129,030.81 
			  August 67 2,373,930.41 
			  September 39 1,228,959.93 
			  October 52 2,787,669.17 
			  November 55 3,025,349.80 
			  December 48 1,380,619.08 
			 2011 January 48 1,682,418.14 
			  February 59 1,071,796.51 
			  March 59 2,190,488.24 
			  April 11 1,956,891.17 
			  May 9 23,425,727.33 
			  June 18 244,568.63 
			  July 13 30,932.75 
			  August 18 4,199,772.81 
		
	
	
		
			  September 11 2,436,608.38 
			  October 8 169,917.22 
		
	
	Suppliers are categorised simply according to whether they are a small and medium sized enterprise (SME) or not. Suppliers are not further categorised separately by small enterprise and medium-sized enterprise. The following table sets out information on purchase orders awarded to SMEs and non-SMEs by month since May 2010:
	
		
			  PO Creation date SME or non-SME supplier Number of PO's awarded to non-SME or SME Total monthly PO value (£) 
			 2010 May Non-SME Commercial Supplier 532 39,183,145.04 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 369 7,991,056.82 
			  June Non-SME Commercial Supplier 527 85,478,962.88 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 286 12,071,267.23 
			  July Non-SME Commercial supplier 372 15,472,706.38 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 242 12,267,207.61 
			  August Non-SME Commercial Supplier 392 34,520,461.61 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 154 12,337,549.03 
			  September Non-SME Commercial Supplier 514 11,433,708.91 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 187 4,799,244.01 
			  October Non-SME Commercial Supplier 456 36,216,845.04 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 203 7,155,178.08 
			  November Non-SME Commercial Supplier 498 47,545,633.09 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 210 1,781,971.33 
			  December Non-SME Commercial Supplier 311 10,985,166.29 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 166 2,112,601.83 
			 2011 January Non-SME Commercial supplier 394 35,169,522.91 
		
	
	
		
			   SME Commercial Supplier 149 17,655480.23 
			  February Non-SME Commercial Supplier 405 9,769,790.22 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 172 2,495,222.96 
			  March Non-SME Commercial Supplier 505 27,072,473.18 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 235 9,639,484.15 
			  April Non-SME Commercial Supplier 186 30,243,827.75 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 96 13,545,853.90 
			  May Non-SME Commercial Supplier 208 39,557,768.29 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 88 1,591,531.28 
			  June Non-SME Commercial Supplier 328 93,444,950.43 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 128 15,882,092.23 
			  July Non-SME Commercial Supplier 250 13,717,226.15 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 97 14,183,572.51 
			  August Non-SME Commercial Supplier 259 44,900,738.06 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 84 2,049,183.98 
			  September Non-SME Commercial Supplier 227 8,372,253.47 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 94 3,610,157.56 
			  October Non-SME Commercial Supplier 115 2,495,716.56 
			   SME Commercial Supplier 41 373,776.37 
		
	
	The Department has advertised a total of 243 contracts or tenders on the Contracts Finder website, between May 2010 and July 2011. Information held within Contracts Finder does not permit reconciliation of the total contract value of these transactions or the proportion of business awarded to SMEs or third sector organisations.

Departmental Security

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve cyber-security in relation to his Department's estate; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Government takes cyber security very seriously and it has been categorised as a tier one threat to the United Kingdom's national security. £650 million is being invested over the next four years in a National Cyber Security programme, working across Departments, with the private sector, international partners and citizens to improve the UK's cyber security capability.
	The Department routinely assesses the prevailing threats to its information and communications systems and applies appropriate and proportionate measures in accordance with the government standards set out in the Cabinet Office's Security Policy Framework (SPF); these standards are aligned with industry best practice approaches.
	It is not in the interest of national security to make public details of particular improvements in relation to individual Departments as it may expose vulnerabilities to those who may seek to exploit them.

Health

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria he plans to use to determine which draft outcome indicators will be included in the final Public Health Outcomes Framework.

Anne Milton: We published a list of 12 criteria for the selection of indicators in the consultation on the Public Health Outcomes Framework. They have been further refined by feedback from the consultation and engagement exercises with key stakeholders. An additional criterion was added as a result of this process. The criteria are as follows:
	measure of health outcome or factor closely correlated to a health outcome;
	aligns with the Government's direction for public health;
	aligns with other Government Departments priorities/strategies;
	evidence-based interventions to support the measure;
	amenable to public health intervention, e.g. by public health professionals, local authorities, Public Health England, national health service;
	major cause of premature mortality or avoidable ill health;
	improvements in this measure will improve health-related quality of life (including mental health);
	improvement in this measure will help reduce inequalities in health;
	improvement in this measure will help improve healthy life expectancy;
	meaningful to, and likely to be perceived as important by, the public;
	meaningful to, and likely to be perceived as important by, local authorities;
	existing system to collect data required to monitor the measure; and
	statistically appropriate, fit for purpose.
	In the light of these criteria Ministers, will decide which indicators are included in the final outcomes framework to be published in the autumn.

Physiotherapy: Arthritis

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve access to specialist physiotherapy services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, RA and physiotherapy: a national survey, published in October 2011, if he will take steps to improve early intervention access to physiotherapy for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve access to physiotherapy services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

Paul Burstow: The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and Chartered Society of Physiotherapy “RA and physiotherapy: a national survey” provides welcome additional information for local services in considering how they might improve services for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis.
	There have been number of initiatives to improve access to physiotherapy and other allied health professional (AHP) services. These include:
	The self-referral to physiotherapy pilots which supported the findings from research in Scotland. The pilots identified a number of benefits including earlier presentation and supporting self-care by empowering patients to be more actively involved in managing their condition. Information about this project can be found in the “Self-referral pilots to musculoskeletal physiotherapy and the implications for improving access to other AHP services”:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_116358.pdf
	Information from APH Referral to Treatment data collection will enable AHPs, including physiotherapists, to innovate to improve services. The “Allied Health Professional Referral to Treatment guide” can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_115297.pdf
	The AHP Service Improvement Project which demonstrated in a range of services, including physiotherapy, how service redesign can improve access and clinical outcomes. Details about this project can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_126840

Housing: Fires

Alun Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons his Department objects to the undertaking of further research to assess the potential benefits of installing sprinklers in new domestic premises as set out in the Building Regulations Review Bill.

Andrew Stunell: The Government have no objections to the undertaking of research to assess the potential benefits of installing sprinklers in new domestic premises. Officials from my Department have been working with the Chief Fire Officers Association who commissioned the Building Research Establishment to carry out further work in this area. We look forward to seeing the results of this work.
	The Government's views on the Building Regulations (Review) Bill were set out during its second reading 22 October 2010, Official Report, column 1019.

Local Government Ombudsman (Amendment) Bill

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to bring forward a money resolution in respect of the Local Government Ombudsman Amendment Bill.

Bob Neill: holding answer 17 October 2011
	Following discussions my hon. Friend has had with my officials, we are preparing agreed amendments in the light of which we will as necessary bring forward any money resolution.

Planning Permission

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what relative weighting he advises local planning authorities to attach to (a) areas of outstanding natural beauty, (b) green belt areas and (c) flood risk areas, when drawing up local plans; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: holding answer 13 October 2011
	The National Planning Policy Framework currently out to public consultation explains that the purpose of the planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. The proposed policies in the framework when taken as a whole set out the Government's view of what constitutes sustainable development in practice. These policies provide strong protections for Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the green belt and are designed to prevent inappropriate building in areas of high flood risk.

Small Businesses: Witham

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of small and medium-sized businesses in (i) in Witham constituency, (ii) Essex and (iii) England that qualify for business rate relief on empty properties.

Bob Neill: The Department does not collect data on business rate relief on empty properties split by size of business or at constituency level. However the number of hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief in England for 2011-12 was published on the Department for Communities and Local Government website on 25 May 2011:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/nondomesticrates201112f
	The following shows the most recent data available on the number and proportion of hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief for England and Essex:
	
		
			 Number and proportion of hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief as at 31 December 2010 
			  Number of hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief Proportion of hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief  (1)   (Percentage) 
			 Essex—shire districts only 3,884 9 
			 Essex—including unitary authorities Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock 4,766 9 
			    
			 England 220,631 13 
			 (1) Hereditaments in receipt of empty property relief as proportion of all hereditaments. Source: NNDR1 & NNDR1 Supplementary Forms 2011-12 
		
	
	The data are as reported to Communities and Local Government by all billing authorities in England on the annual national non-domestic rates and national non-domestic rates (supplementary) returns.

Weather

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to improve winter resilience for the 2011-12 winter.

Bob Neill: My Department is working closely with colleagues in the Cabinet Office, Department for Transport, local partners and the voluntary sector to develop robust plans for winter 2011-12. The cross Departmental "Get Ready for Winter" campaign will be launched during the week of 24-30 October supported by information available on:
	www.Direct.gov.uk
	giving advice to people in the community on how to prepare for winter. This information will be updated throughout the winter period.
	DCLG Resilience Advisers are currently gathering information from Local Resilience Fora on their preparations for winter, including public awareness campaigns and drawing attention to the importance of good relationships between Local Highways Authorities and ports. This information will be shared with other local partners across the country and with key Departments to enable good practice and preparedness for winter.
	In addition, my Department has agreed to broker mutual aid if approached by Local Highway Authorities or owners of key infrastructure, such as ports, if their salt stocks run unexpectedly low.